Irish chef, food writer and cookery teacher Catherine Fulvio provides the recipe for a delicious custard treat to make and serve on Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients (Produces 2-4)
For the Custard Pots…
• 200ml double cream
• 100ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds extracted
• 100g white chocolate, melted
For the Strawberry Compote…
• 170g strawberries, hulled & quartered
• 50g caster sugar
• Juice and zest of ½ lemon
• 1star anise
• 3 tbsp cold water
To Serve…
• Lemon whipped cream, to pipe on top
• 100ml double cream
• ¼ lemon, zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• Strawberries, to decorate
• 1 tsp hazelnuts, roughly chopped & toasted hazelnuts
• Mint or sweet geranium leaves, to garnish
Instructions for White Chocolate & Strawberry Custard Cream Pots
• Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C / gas 3.
• To make the custard pots, pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and heat gently.
• Add the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds into a bowl and whisk well until light and fluffy.
• Pour the hot cream over the egg yolks, whisking very well, a little at a time so that the yolks will cook. Fold in the melted chocolate.
• Transfer the mixture into pretty cups, ramekins or glass jars and place them into a bain marie (This is an oven tray. Half fill the tray with boiling water once in the oven).
• Bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Take them out of the bain marie and leave to cool before placing in the fridge.
• To prepare the strawberry compote, place the berries, sugar, star anise, lemon zest and juice and water a saucepan and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until a syrupy compote forms.
• Leave to cool completely. Remove the star anise.
• For the lemon whipped cream, whip together the double cream, lemon zest and juice and icing sugar. Taste and adjust to your liking.
• When ready to serve, spoon the berry compote over the cream custards and pipe a swirl of the lemon cream on top. Scatter over the toasted hazelnuts and finish with some mint or sweet geranium leaves.
• Enjoy Catherine Fulvio’s White Chocolate & Strawberry Custard Cream Pots!
Happy Valentine’s Day!